Mateer was one of three players who accompanied Oklahoma coach Brent Venables at SEC Media Days in July. Venables and Oklahoma’s players have raved consistently about Mateer’s leadership. He’s considered one of the nation’s top transfers and a key reason the Sooners open the season ranked No. 18 in the AP Top 25.

John Mateer issued a statement denying sports gambling claims after viral Venmo transactions from his time at Washington State made their way to social media.